Yep, Starlink Totally Photobombed a Beautiful Image of Comet Neowise - ScienceAlert

Elon Musk's growing constellation of internet satellites has been sending streaks of bright light across night skies around the world.

The satellite project, called Starlink, is Musk's plan to blanket Earth in high-speed satellite internet.

The effort has drawn criticism from professional and amateur astronomers, however, because the bright satellites can mar the skies and disrupt telescope observations.

But it illustrates why many astronomers worry about the threat that satellite constellations like Starlink pose to ground-based astronomy.

Long-exposure images are a crucial part of studying distant objects in the night sky.

Telescopes on Earth watch celestial targets for hours, slowly building up a detailed image that offers astronomers rich data.

But one poorly timed Starlink satellite can ruin that kind of research by creating a long streak across the image and blocking the objects that astronomers want to study.

Briefly shutting off the camera as the satellite passes overhead can save a long-exposure image.